In front of the Colosseum during the day

Author: Dana Schippanoski | Major: Exercise Science | Semester: Summer 2025
This past summer, I spent five weeks studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, and it was one of the most memorable and meaningful parts of my college experience so far. As an Exercise Science major at the University of Arkansas, I’ve always been curious about how other countries handle healthcare, especially ones with public systems like Spain. I also wanted to improve my Spanish and experience daily life in another culture. When I found a program that offered healthrelated classes in Valencia, it felt like the perfect fit. Academically, the program was a great balance between learning in the classroom and seeing things in real life. I took a course on nutrition and another on healthcare ethics, and both were incredibly eye-opening. We didn’t just talk about how Spain’s system works—we visited
local clinics and talked with professionals who work in it. I realized how much emphasis Spain places on preventative care and accessibility. It was interesting to compare that to what I’ve seen in the U.S. Outside of class, living in Valencia was amazing. I stayed in an apartment with three other girls in my program. One attends the University of Arkansas as well, and the other two girls attended schools from different areas of the United States. Since this program was not just
an Arkansas program, it was exciting to meet people from all over the country and notice the
differences in our personalities based on where we were all from and what we were studying.
From this program, I have made so many amazing friendships and have already orchestrated
plans to reunite with them in the coming months.
In my free time, I explored the city and took a few weekend trips to Barcelona,
Amsterdam, Mallorca, and Italy. Honestly, some of my favorite moments were simple—like
walking through the park, eating gelato with friends, or watching the sunset at the beach after a
long day of class. We tried all the best food spots in Valencia and got gelato every night. I’d say
my favorite weekend trip was probably Amsterdam or Italy. In Amsterdam, I went with two of
my roommates and walked around for the whole day, tried a lot of places that were
recommended for meals, went on a canal tour in a boat and did some shopping. Italy was
amazing because we did so much, and it was our longest trip. We went for four days and when
we landed in Rome, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum in the middle of the
night. Then we did more sightseeing the next day before we took a bus to Florence. In Florence
we saw the Duomo and went shopping in the leather markets. Both trips were amazing and
outside of Valencia were some of my favorite memories.
I had amazing experiences studying abroad and I made lifelong friends. I would
recommend studying abroad to everyone just to be able to see how different cultures interact and
to see the world. I loved that this program was healthcare-based, and I could take classes that
applied to my major and go to clinics to see the type of work they do. The biggest lesson I took
away from the trip is that health is about so much more than medicine. It’s also about how we
live, what we value, and how we connect with others.